


From Eden

by fiendingforthesunshine



Series: From Eden (Bucky/Natasha) [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky and Natasha are vagabond thieves, Gen, I mean i wouldn't consider it kidnapping I would consider it saving but whatevs, Kid Steve Rogers, Kidnapping, Maybe - Freeform, Stockholm Syndrome, also a maybe, alternative universe, because Bucky and Natasha are pretty good people, despite the stealing and stick ups and stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-03-06 22:41:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3150968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiendingforthesunshine/pseuds/fiendingforthesunshine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky and Natasha have been stealing their way across the US for almost three years now in their green 1986 station wagon. They always assumed one day they’d get caught and everything they’d stolen would be found and impounded until one day they stole something they’d hoped they’d get to keep forever. </p><p>Inspired and written to match the music video of Hozier's song 'From Eden' except with Bucky, Natasha and Steve as the characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Eden

**Author's Note:**

> You don't need to have seen the music video to know what's going on but honestly the music video is probably better at telling the story. 
> 
> I also don't know how to link stuff on this website so I'm trusting all of you to go out on your own into the wilderness of youtube to find this video. Hozier - From Eden. It's adorable and I love it. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this story!
> 
> ****** There is now a prequel to this story! please continue on to the next installment in this series, titled 'I Found' ******

Bucky held back a laugh as Natasha followed him a few steps behind. They crossed the front yard, the light of their flashlights dancing on the side of the house they were headed towards. 

Before they’d gotten out of the car Natasha had started a game of 20 questions and Bucky’s brain was the most immature place for those questions to sit while they were doing a job. 

As they got closer to the house they quieted their voices and walked from window to window, looking for the part of the house with easiest access. It looked vacant, although the homeowners were probably just out of the house for the night. 

Natasha walked closer as they crossed to the second window, winding her fingers around Bucky’s as her flashlight pointed towards the front door on the other side of the house, “It’s probably best to go through the front door anyway, doesn’t look like anyone’s home.” 

Bucky nodded and pulled out his lock-picking set as they got closer to the door. Natasha took the flashlight out of his hand and pointed hers to focus on the door handle. Bucky began the process of defeating the lock while Natasha set her chin on his shoulder to watch. 

\--

It was another cloudless warm day in sunny southern California, just the way Natasha and Bucky liked it. All the windows in the station wagon were rolled down as far as they could go and Natasha was enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair as she steered the car to the gas station that was about two miles down the road. The radio was turned to some 80s pop station and she tapped her hand to the beat on the steering while as she let her left hand hang out the window. 

Natasha glanced into the rearview mirror.

Bucky was stretched out in the backseat, his sunglasses on, his shirt flying around unbuttoned and his hair down. His hand was hanging out the window, holding onto the roof of the car. 

Natasha smiled and then turned her eyes to the front seat of the car. 

Steve’s little feet, clad in little sneakers were up on the dashboard and his hand was sticking out of the window, getting blow around by the force of the wind. When he noticed Bucky’s hand was tapping on the roof Steve giggled and tapped his hand on the roof as well, almost standing in his seat to get his hand up there. Bucky noticed and laughed as well, smiling at the boy. 

Natasha ran her hand through her hair and caught Bucky’s eyes behind the sunglasses as they pulled off the main road and off into the parking lot of the Podunk gas station, it only had two pumps and the only car in the lot belonged to the owner probably. 

“You ready?” Natasha asked. Steve was still giggling in the front seat, his feet tapping offbeat to the rhythm of the song playing in the background. 

Bucky shrugged, “Always am,” he grinned. 

Natasha pulled to a stop in front of the gas pumps and Bucky stepped out the car. He leaned over, putting his forearm on the top part of the car door on Steve’s side and he leaned into the car, “I’m going to go in and get some stuff, you stay in here with Natasha, alright?” 

Steve nodded, and smiled at him and then Natasha, “Okay! Natasha, can I have some gum, please?” 

Bucky nodded to himself and looked at Natasha one last time before tapping his fingers on the metal and turning around. Steve was digging through the glove compartment for gum as Natasha watched Bucky walk into the building, his hands going to his back and reaching into his waistband, pulling out his pistol. 

Bucky pulled the wanted poster depicting him and Natasha off the ‘Community Information’ corkboard tacked up next to the door and walked inside. 

Natasha plopped a piece of gum in her mouth once Steve gave her a piece and she smiled as Steve attempted to blow a bubble, but got it all stuck to his lips instead. 

“Here, I can do a perfect one,” Natasha said, chewing her piece a bit and then blowing a fairly decent sized bubble. 

Steve reached out and just before he poked the bubble to pop it Natasha let it pop herself and grabbed Steve’s hand, smiling and holding it between hers, “Hey! That’s not nice!” 

Steve smiled anyway and let Natasha hold his hand for a few seconds before reaching for another piece of gum so his bubble could soon be larger. 

They continued playing with their gum and switching through the static-y rock and country stations until Bucky came out of the station, cool and collected except now holding a brow paper bag, a few bills sticking out of the top. 

“Okay, let’s go, let’s go,” Bucky huffed, pushing his hair back with his hand and sliding into the backseat. 

Natasha put the keys back in the ignition and listened to the engine turn over a few times before finally starting up. Steve buckled himself back in and Bucky gave a whistle as they started off, back into the desert. 

\--

Natasha and Bucky stumbled over the threshold of the front door once Bucky forced the door open. Natasha handed Bucky’s flashlight back to him and distracted him with a kiss to pull his hood up over his head. Bucky laughed into the kiss and pulled away after a few more seconds and turned around to look into the house. 

One of the windows was covered in plastic instead of glass, floating in the soft breeze; Natasha reached again for Bucky’s hand and turned her flashlight over the main room as Bucky focused on the other side. 

\-- 

Natasha was in the driver’s seat as usual, trying to turn the key in the ignition but the engine just wouldn’t catch. They’d stopped on the side of some desert road about two hours after the gas station to give Steve some space to run around and when Natasha went to start the car again nothing happened. 

Bucky had pulled Steve back out of they car and after the two of them spent a good ten minutes staring under the hood of the car. Bucky knew next to nothing about cars so Natasha was sure he was feeding Steve funny lies about the monster that controlled the car. 

After the vague attempt at doing something to the engine Bucky told Steve they were going to have to go around the back and push the car to get it rolling while Natasha would try to turn the engine over, it would be easier once the car was moving, according to Bucky. 

Steve had been sitting on the ground next to Bucky and he latched onto Bucky’s leg, “Okay, let’s go!” 

Bucky looked down at the little boy and shrugged. He walked around towards the back of the car, a tiny little minion latched to his leg, giggling his face off as Bucky over exaggerated how difficult it was to walk the 5 or so feet to the back. 

Once they were there Bucky reached down and pulled Steve up until they were eye-to-eye and smiled, “You ready?”

Steve nodded and Bucky put Steve down on the sand, “Put it in neutral, Tash!” 

Natasha put the car in neutral and tried to turn the keys again as Bucky leaned against the car and Steve pushed facing towards the car. 

After pushing for about 20 feet the car roared to life and the trio cheered. Bucky picked up Steve under his arms and ran towards the front seat, opening the door and sliding Steve in safely at the low speed, then hoped into the backseat. 

They continued on down the road and after a while Bucky decided to count how much money he’d scored from the gas station. 

Bucky was about halfway through the stack when he noticed a little pair of eyes on him. Steve was unbuckled and practically standing in the seat so he could see what Bucky was doing. He had a smile on his face and looked pretty content to stay in this car for as long as possible. 

Bucky pulled out a one-dollar bill from the stack and offered it up to Steve, “Want a reward for all your hard work?” 

Steve nodded and Bucky handed over the dollar bill, smiling as well when Steve turned to Natasha to show her the dollar. 

“I see it, Steve! Better put it in your pocket, we’re almost to where we’re gonna stay for a few days!” 

“Okay!” Steve cheered, folding the dollar carefully and putting it in his pocket as they pulled up to a cute little yellow house that almost blended in with the desert. 

Bucky pulled out his pack of cigarettes and pulled one out to stick in his mouth before tossing the box back into the backseat of the car and opening the door, unfolding all his limbs and stretching them out a bit as Steve opened his car door, whooping and hollering and jumping up and down before he starting running for the front door. 

Bucky pushed his sunglasses off his eyes and up into his hair as he followed Steve and Natasha up the walkway. 

Steve had already reached the glass of the front door and had cupped his hands around his eyes so he could see into the house despite the scorching sun. Bucky pulled out his lock-picking set and set to work on the lock. Steve stopped looking into the house when he heard the clanking and jingling from Bucky but he smiled once the door was open and raced inside the house with Bucky and Natasha soon following. 

\--

“Okay. Next question… does it get wet when it’s hot?” Natasha threw back her head in laughter at Bucky’s question.

“Your questions are always so inappropriate, Buck!” She hissed, tripping over a piece of trash as they continued through the house. 

“Woah, Tash, look at that!” Bucky turned his flashlight to a giant spider up in the corner of the living room wall. 

Natasha was used to the desert by now, but those giant bugs and lizards always freaked her out, especially when they were inside a building. Bucky wrapped his arm around Natasha and twirled his flashlight around, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” He placed a kiss on top of her head and continued to the next room of the house. 

\--

“Can we have something to eat?” Steve shouted from somewhere inside the house. 

“Of course, whatever’s in the kitchen!” Natasha responded back, and started to follow the young child’s voice. He was in the kitchen already, a box of frosted flakes open and his hand already inside the box. 

Bucky walked past him and checked the fridge, seeing that there was still a good jug of milk in the fridge, “Steve, find some bowls” he pulled the milk out and lightly pulled the box of cereal away from Steve and onto the counter. 

Steve climbed up on the counter and started pulling cupboards open to search for the bowls. 

Natasha turned around in a small circle, looking around the kitchen, her sunglasses off her face now and in her hands, one of the handles hanging from her lips as she smiled. Natasha always found the beauty in the houses they borrowed and it seems like the kitchen was the beautiful spot in this house. 

Steve had found the bowls finally and had planted his feet back on the ground, trying to look up over the counter to watch Bucky pour the cereal into the three bowls and then open the milk and pour that over the dry flakes. 

Steve took his bowl to the kitchen table and Bucky looked over at Natasha, she was still lost in her daydreams, looking around the kitchen with a smile on her face. Bucky picked out one of the still-dry flakes and threw it at her forehead, getting her attention. 

Bucky laughed and brought her bowl over to her and left a kiss on her check. 

“Steve, hey, I found powdered donuts too!” Bucky called, still smiling at Natasha as he opened the package and let Steve dig his little fingers into the dough and pile some in his mouth. 

They sat at the table and alternated between eating and tossing bits of food at each other until they were finished. Natasha piled their dishes in the sink as Bucky went to go see more of the house and Steve rocketed into the living room to play with whatever he could find. 

Natasha explored the house as well, once she was done, looking for where Bucky had ended up, he always had a knack for finding the best bedrooms in the house and soon she spotted him relaxing on top of the white covers of a queen sized bed. 

Steve had quickly gotten bored of the figurines trapped behind glass cabinets in the living room and began pretending that the floor was lava, jumping from chair to couch and back to chair again. Soon the rug became part of the safe zone as well and he had created a little path through the room and to the kitchen. 

As he passed from the living room to the kitchen a second time he turned to look down the hallway. 

Bucky was lying on the bed, his head up against the headboard, and Natasha was sitting on his thighs. They were talking too quietly for Steve to hear but they always spoke nice things so he imagined she was telling Bucky how much she loved her two boys. 

\--

As they walked further into the dark house it became clear that no one had been living there for a long time, and if they had been living there they didn’t care much for cleanliness. 

There was a stained mattress in the corner of one room, with wrappers of gas station burritos and empty bags of chips scattered over the tore sheet in the corner. 

Natasha looked at the bed with disgust but hoped they’d still find something worthwhile in this house. 

\--

“Hey, Bucky?” Steve called out from the living room. Natasha sat up from where she had been lying on top of Bucky, breathing in his scent and threw her leg back over so Bucky could sit up. 

When they reached the living room Steve was looking out the window, curtains draw back just enough so he could peek his face out to see, “There’s people outside,” he whispered, as if they could hear him. 

Bucky got closer to the window, Natasha at his side, and they looked out. There were two police cars and a few men in State Trooper uniforms getting out of the vehicles and talking to each other. Natasha pulled away from the window and gave Bucky a worried luck just as Bucky did the same. 

Natasha immediately crossed the window and pulled Steve to her chest, facing towards Bucky. 

\--

The next room they found had a similar set up except this time there was a small teddy bear on the bed and a thin blanket was pulled up too look like someone had made up the bed. 

Bucky and Natasha turned to look around the room, their flashlights hitting the walls and reflecting back on the mess in the room. A few moments later there was a crash from another room in the house. 

Bucky glanced over at Natasha and tried to shrug, “It’s probably just a raccoon or a possum or something like that, don’t worry.” 

Natasha looked around the room once more and turned her flashlight to the doorway and nodded, “Alright. Yeah, let’s keep looking.” 

\--

Natasha slid down the side of the wall taking Steve down with her. Bucky continued looking out the window from the corner, looking down occasionally at Steve who had settled in next to Natasha. 

The cops weren’t coming into the house but more and more kept pulling up to the dirt driveway. Bucky had brought his gun in from the car but he didn’t entirely feel like entering into a gunfight with such a little kid like Steve there to witness it. 

Bucky slid down the wall space between the two windows and looked over towards Natasha, reaching out his hand to hold hers. 

\--

They heard the noise again, from a closet in the back bedroom of the house. 

Natasha stood beside Bucky as they walked into their room, their flashlights trained on the broken cowboy salon-style doors that lead to the closet. They couldn’t see anything behind them but a few of the panels were broken and revealing more black space in the closet. 

\--

Natasha held Steve close to her, her arms wrapped around his neck. Steve didn’t seem to mind but he was staring up at Bucky in his childlike concern. 

Bucky had taken his gun out from his waistband and placed it on the ground as he pulled his legs up towards himself. Steve stared at the gun wide-eyed but didn’t move from Natasha’s safe embrace. 

“Barnes! We know you’re in there!” One of the Troopers called from his car. Bucky could bet that their guns were drawn and ready for a standoff. 

“COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!” Another Trooper shouted and Bucky crossed his legs facing away from the wall. 

Natasha reached down and grabbed Bucky’s hand, her other arm still wrapped around Steve. 

Bucky smiled to himself despite the situation and let their coiled hands balance on Steve’s knee, as he was sitting cross-legged on the floor. 

“Bucky, what’s happening?” Steve asked quietly, looking down at their hands. 

Bucky tilted his head to try and listen to what the police were saying when they weren’t shouting at Bucky to surrender. 

“I’ve done some bad stuff, kid. I guess the police found out,” Bucky offered back, hoping that would be enough explanation. 

\--

Natasha and Bucky moved as a unit closer to the closet. Hopefully it would just be a rat or a raccoon and not any of the other vicious animals that wandered around this greener part of the desert. 

Bucky was tall enough to see over the short panels and he leaned over, pointing his flashlight down. 

“Tash…” He muttered. 

Natasha pulled open one side of the door and she gasped. 

It wasn’t any animal. It was a little boy. 

He was curled in on himself in the corner, his dirt-stained face barely peeking out over his knees. When the flashlights hit his face he turned away to keep the light from his eyes and Bucky and Natasha stared at the boy in confusion and worry. 

Bucky was surprisingly the first of the two to squat down and offer a smile to the boy to keep him from being scared, “Hey, kid. I’m Bucky and that’s Natasha, what’s your name?” 

The boy was quiet for a few moments but he glanced up at Bucky and picked at the carpet underneath his bare feet, “Steve,” he whispered. 

Bucky nodded, “Are you alone here, Steve?” 

Steve nodded into his knees. 

Bucky looked up at Natasha and he didn’t even need to have their silent conversation to know that this is the prize they’d been looking for in the house. 

“Steve, would you like to come with us? We don’t have much but we have food, and it’s better than being alone.” 

Steve only had to think for a minute before he reached out and grabbed Bucky’s hand. 

\-- 

“Tash, I’m gonna go give myself up. Maybe they won’t think you were involved, maybe then we can keep Steve with one of us, somehow,” Bucky offered, running his hand through his hair. 

Natasha sighed, “We knew this would happen someday, right?” 

Bucky looked at Steve and ruffled his hair, “Sorry we couldn’t do this longer, kid.” 

Steve looked sad, like he was contemplating what would happen to him once Bucky and Natasha were gone, “It’s okay, I’ve done this before.” 

Bucky gave Steve a sad smile and leaned over to kiss Natasha on the cheek, “Love ya, babe.” 

Natasha nodded and wrapped both her arms around Steve in a bear hug before pulling him up to his feet, outside of the view of the window. 

Bucky stood up once he was out of the window frame, he didn’t want to get shot if he didn’t have to, and walked towards the door. He opened it about an inch, just enough so that the Troopers could hear him, “I’m coming out, there’s a little kid in here, don’t shoot.” 

“You don’t make the calls, Barnes. Hands up where we can see them!” 

Bucky gave one last look to Natasha and Steve and opened the door fully, quickly putting his hands high in the air in surrender. Two Troopers still had their guns drawn and trained on Bucky as he walked out of the house slowly. 

One of them grabbed Bucky’s closest arm as soon as he was within two feet of him and Bucky let him manhandle him over the hood of the car. The man snapped the metal link of the handcuffs over Bucky’s wrist and pulled his other arm back roughly to do the same as he gave Bucky a rendition of his Miranda Rights. 

The Trooper pulled Bucky up by the scruff of his neck and turned him around to get him into the back of the car. A few of the other cops had already gone inside the house and one was walking out with Steve. 

Steve was looking anywhere but the officers and he was ignoring all of their questions, but his eye was on Bucky as the older man was pushed into the backseat of the police car. Another officer came towards Steve with a blanket and Steve let the man drape it over his shoulders. 

Then an officer walked out with Natasha, she was also cuffed behind her back but she seemed more focused on Steve than on the fact that she was going to down with Bucky, getting caught together was always part of their plan anyway. 

“Hey, Steve,” she smiled down at the little boy. 

Steve turned around, pulling the blanket with him and he walked up one of the steps to get closer to Natasha. 

She leaned down to be directly in Steve’s line of vision and they let their heads gently tap together. 

There was nothing to be said between them, but they continued looking at each other with smiles on their faces. 

Steve tucked the blanket around himself tighter and Natasha placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Steve nodded and leaned his forehead against hers until the Trooper behind her pulled her back up and the one who had been taking care of Steve picked him up, blanket and all. 

Natasha kept her eyes trained on Steve as he was carried further away, towards another police car. 

Steve would always be theirs, no matter who they stole him from.


End file.
